


Here for You

by Seraph_Novak



Series: Tyrus One-Shots [17]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Hurt/Comfort, Locked In, M/M, Making Up, One Shot, Tyrus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 15:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Novak/pseuds/Seraph_Novak
Summary: Cyrus and TJ get locked in a shop during an argument.





	Here for You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I have yet another Tyrus fic for you, because I'm obsessed... Two weeks until Andi Mack season 3!
> 
> As always, all comments and kudos are very much appreciated ♥
> 
>  
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://seraph-novak.tumblr.com)

TJ’s long legs made it difficult to keep up with him. Cyrus was practically sprinting as he struggled to fall into pace with TJ’s quick strides, his forehead slick with sweat and his chest wheezing with short breaths. It also didn’t help that he was trying to reason with his friend at the same time.

“I’m sorry, TJ,” he said yet again. “Both of your games were on at the exact same time! I had to pick _one_ of them.”

“And you chose Buffy’s.”

“Well, yeah.” He tugged on TJ’s arm in a futile attempt to slow him down, but ended up tripping over a crack in the sidewalk instead. TJ glanced over his shoulder, obviously wanting to ask if he was okay, but carried on walking. “She’s my best friend,” Cyrus continued, “and you know how competitive she is. Without a strong support system, she becomes unhinged! She needs people in the crowd to keep her grounded.”

“And what about me?” TJ asked, the sharpness of his words making Cyrus flinch. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe _I_ need people in the crowd too?”

“But you won,” Cyrus lamely pointed out.

TJ scoffed. “Wow. Do you really think that makes it okay?”

“Of course not. But at least you had a good game!”

“It’s a shame you weren’t there to see it.”

“TJ, please –”

“Just leave me alone.”

Cyrus stopped in his tracks for a moment, wondering if he should give TJ some time to cool down, then shook his head and followed the other boy into a shop. TJ was pretending to browse in the snack aisle, pointedly avoiding Cyrus as he approached him and started talking again.

“You can’t keep ignoring me,” he said. “Communication is our strong suit!”

TJ picked up a chocolate bar and turned it over in his hands, closely studying the long list of ingredients on the back. Cyrus had never seen someone stare at a chocolate bar with such forced concentration before.

“Listen,” he tried again. “I really am sorry, TJ. If I’d known it would bother you this much, I would’ve –”

“Chosen me over Buffy?” TJ asked, lifting a mocking eyebrow. “Sure.”

When TJ returned his attention to the snacks, Cyrus finally saw red. He grabbed the other boy by the arm and dragged him down the aisle, ignoring his protests as he shoved him into a supply closet at the back of the store. The room was much smaller than Cyrus had anticipated, and he and TJ were practically chest to chest once the door was closed.

“What the hell?” TJ hissed.

Cyrus poked him in the shoulder. “You’re being really unfair!”

“Me?”

“Yes, you! You’re acting like I purposely went to Buffy’s game to hurt you or something.”

TJ sucked his teeth. “Well, it _did_ kinda hurt.”

“Yes, I know. And I’m sorry. How many times do you want me to say it?”

“I don’t care how many times you say it. It’s not gonna change anything. You chose Buffy’s game over mine, and that’s okay. At least now I know where I rank.”

Cyrus frowned. “Why are you so upset?”

“Figure it out.”

“It would be easier if you just talked to me.”

“Well, I don’t feel like talking.” TJ shouldered past him and opened the door, stepping out into the darkness of the shop. Cyrus was surprised to see the lights turned off as he followed him outside, glancing around the empty aisles with a sinking sense of dread.

“Um... TJ?”

“Why’s it so dark in here?” TJ asked, voicing Cyrus’ concerns.

The radio that had been playing on the counter was switched off, and the only sound in the shop was the low humming of the fridges lining the back wall. Cyrus spotted the open sign facing inwards, and his worst fears were confirmed.

“We’ve been locked in.”

TJ’s eyes turned wide. “What? _No_. No, no, no, no, no...”

“Calm down!”

“What d’you mean calm down?” TJ fished his phone out of his pocket and fumbled with it, spitting a curse at the lack of signal. “Crap. No bars. How the hell are we gonna call for help?”

“There might be a phone behind the counter,” Cyrus offered meekly.

TJ nodded his head and rushed down the aisle, double checking the front door was actually locked before bending over the counter and searching for a phone. Cyrus winced at his sigh of frustration and checked his own phone for signal. No luck. They were completely cut off from the outside world.

“What about a fire escape?” he suggested. “Do they lock those?”

TJ shrugged. “I dunno. Let’s find out.”

Cyrus watched him attempt to open the large, green doors, but they wouldn’t budge. TJ’s hands slipped off the metal bar, and he pounded his fist on the wall, splitting his knuckles. A bead of blood trickled down his wrist and pooled on the linoleum floor.

“Careful!” Cyrus said, gently touching the back of TJ’s injured hand and pushing it down. “Let me find a bandage for that.”

“Don’t bother,” TJ mumbled. “It doesn’t even hurt.”

Cyrus bit back the urge to fuss over TJ’s wounds as he kicked the door and collapsed in a heap on the floor. He looked dejected and emotional, and it pained Cyrus to think that he was the main cause of TJ’s dismay. For a few moments, he hovered by his side, thinking of the best words to say to him, but he ultimately decided to give him some time to calm down.

As he wandered around the store, he picked up some snacks, a few bottles of water, and a pile of random magazines. TJ frowned at his collection and continued picking at the dried blood around his knuckles.

“I brought us some entertainment,” Cyrus said, waving one of the magazines in front of TJ’s face with a smile. “Oh, look at this: ‘Ten Ways to Boost Your Butt’,” he read in a booming, commentator-like voice. “‘These top-secret tips will turn your behind from flat to firm in no time’.”

He glanced up at TJ, hoping for at least a smirk, but was saddened to find the same grim expression on his face.

“C’mon, TJ,” he pleaded. “This is gonna be a very long night if you ignore me the whole time.”

TJ gritted his teeth and turned away, wrapping his arms around his knees. Cyrus could see the slight tremble in his hands, the subtle tinge of blue to his lips... He realised with a start that it was absolutely freezing in here, and TJ was wearing nothing more than a t-shirt. He noticed the tiny hairs on his arms rising with the goosebumps prickling his flesh, and Cyrus immediately dived into protective mode.

“Hang on.”

He ran back into the aisles and returned a few moments later with a brown blanket, carefully draping it over TJ’s shoulders. It was a relief to see TJ relax under the warmth of the blanket as opposed to tossing it aside, as Cyrus had worried he might.

“Thanks,” TJ said, despite his unrelenting scowl. “Where the hell did you find this anyway?”

Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck. “Um... The pet aisle?”

“Is this a dog blanket?”

“Maybe...”

TJ stared at him in silence for what felt like hours, and then a small smile ghosted his lips. It wasn’t much, but it was a start, and Cyrus was determined to make the most of it before his grumpiness returned.

“Why are you mad at me?” he asked again, his voice soft. “I mean, _really_. Besides the obvious... Is there something else going on?”

TJ swallowed thickly, his smile fading. “It was a pretty big game for me,” he admitted in a whisper, “and I was really counting on you being there, cheering me on. I always seem to do better when you’re there. I don’t know why.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed, a single tear glistening on his cheek. “I guess it’s because I’ve never really had anyone supporting me before. All my friends are on the team, and my parents never bother to come to my games. You’re the only person who’s ever shown an interest.”

Cyrus’ stomach twisted with guilt.

“So when I looked out at the crowd, and you weren’t there... I dunno. I guess it felt like I’d lost my only supporter.” He wiped away the wetness on his cheeks, forcing a smile as he looked up at Cyrus. “But I know Buffy’s your best friend, and she’s important to you. I get that. I shouldn’t be mad with you.”

Cyrus sat next to him and squeezed his knee. “You’re important to me too,” he said. “And I’m so sorry for making you think otherwise.”

TJ met his eyes with a hesitant smile, then lifted the blanket. “You wanna share?”

“Sure.”

Cyrus snuggled up to TJ so the blanket could fit around them both. It was a tight squeeze, but he wasn’t complaining. He quite liked having the excuse to sit close to TJ, their arms pressed together and their fingers brushing beneath the blanket. He felt a rush of giddiness when TJ wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, giving him no choice but to tuck his head under TJ’s chin.

“I’m sorry too,” TJ said, “for getting angry with you.”

Cyrus smiled. “It’s okay.”

After a while of munching on snacks and watching the day roll into night through the glass doors, Cyrus finally found the courage to break the comfortable silence with another question: “Why do you play better when I’m around?”

TJ glanced down at him and shrugged. Even in the darkness, Cyrus could see the blush in his cheeks.

“You believe in me,” TJ said, “and that’s enough to make me wanna win. For you. To make you proud of me. To make sure you never stop believing in me.”

Cyrus stared at the side of his face for a moment, then tilted his chin downwards and planted a kiss on his cheek. His lips burned against the blood rushing to TJ’s face, his entire body trembling as he cushioned his head against TJ’s chest and closed his eyes, smiling at the sound of TJ’s heartbeat throbbing against his skin.

“What was that for?” TJ asked in awe.

“For lasting luck,” Cyrus told him. “So you’ll always know I’m rooting for you, even if I can’t be there.”

TJ buried his face in Cyrus’ hair. “Thanks, Underdog.”

“No need to thank me,” he said. “That’s what best friends do.”

“Just friends?”

Cyrus grinned. “Well, boyfriends too.”

“I like that better.”

“Me too.”

And when the shop keeper returned several hours later, Cyrus and TJ didn’t even rush to get out the door. They were quite happy where they were, cuddled up together beneath a musty-smelling dog blanket, their hands clasped together and their hearts beating as one.


End file.
